Release Day – The Summer Marked (The Winter People) by Rebekah L. Purdy

Today is release day for The Summer Marked, the second book in the new adult fantasy series, The Winter People, by Rebekah L. Purdy. See below for information on the book, buy links, an exclusive excerpt, and details on her giveaway.

SynopsisThe sequel to the chilling Winter People returns to the world of Faerie, and is a romantic and enchanting follow-up.

Fresh off a break-up with her boyfriend, Kadie’s glad to be home from college for Thanksgiving. All she needs is a rebound guy, a box of chocolates, and some girl time with her best friend, Salome. Problem is, Salome isn’t returning her calls, and her family won’t say where she is. Feeling sorry for herself, Kadie ends up at Club Blade, a place filled with pumping music, dangerous guys, and promises of a good time. However, when midnight strikes, Kadie’s fun turns into a nightmare as she’s ripped from the human world into Faerie by a vengeful Winter Prince named Etienne. For the first time in her life, she realizes the monsters Salome always spoke of are real, and they’ll stop at nothing to destroy her friend.

Salome thought the winter curse was behind her. But winter has left its mark. Not just on her, but on the whole summer court. The Kingdom of Summer is falling apart, and Nevin is hanging onto his throne by a thread. With war on his doorstep, he has no choice but to send Gareth into enemy territory, which means Salome will be left alone—vulnerable in a world she doesn’t understand. A place where beauty is deadly and humans are pawns in the macabre games the Fae play. Both Kadie and Salome will have to call on all their strength to survive in a world where humans aren’t meant to be. With death and enemies all around them, it’ll be a miracle if they can survive.

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Excerpt #2“Close the door and stay in there until someone comes to get you,” the fairy said. “We need you safe.”

I slammed the door shut, then leaned my head against my arms. Pitch blackness surrounded me. A thick, musty scent clung to the damp air. Chains rattled at the back of the room. I went still.

“Don’t worry, we’ll protect you…” a voice hissed like air leaking from a tire. A ghostly fi gure fl oated toward me. Its translucent skin glowed; its eyes were hollow and black. Phantom arrows protruded from its—or rather his—heart. He raised a finger and pointed. “Get away from the door.”

I climbed to my feet but stood where I was. The fairy had screwed me over. She’d led me to be murdered by flipping ghosts.

“NOW!”

I staggered forward right as something rammed into the door. The wood splintered while growls erupted on the other side of the barrier. My eyes darted about the room. There was nowhere to go. Well, other than a creepy ass hallway at the back of the room.

Pop. Other ghosts appeared and shoved tables, barrels, stones—anything they could find—in front of the door. A cold touch on my arm made me scream as the same ghoulish man-ghost ushered me toward the serpentine hall I’d seen just a few minutes ago.

No way. I don’t want to go in there.

Yet, I didn’t have a choice. If I stayed out here, who knew what the dog from hell might do to me? Okay, so I either got mauled to death or accosted by a phantom.

Ghost it is.

My body quivered as I finally followed after the being. Bluish orbs lit the narrow passageway. Cobwebs brushed against my face. I prayed they didn’t have spiders attached to them. Shadows clung to the rock walls, seeping out to trail us. Deeper we went, until at last, we came to a metal door. Carved into its base were the same suns, snowflakes, flowers, and leaves I’d seen on the stones outside. The door creaked open, and I stepped into a room filled only with a large stone table and several chairs carved right into the rock walls.

Please don’t let that be a sacrificial altar.

I stood silent for a moment in an effort to catch my breath. When I turned, I saw an army of ghosts step through the walls and ceiling. “Who are you? An-and what do you want?”

SynopsisAn engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.

Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn’t forgotten their warning to “stay away.” For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the “special gifts” that must be left at the back of the property.

Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she’ll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

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Author Rebekah L. Purdy

About the AuthorRebekah Purdy grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight.

When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games and hanging out with her kids.

She loves the unexplainable like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with anything chocolate…